


Stars in the Firmament

by psyraven



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: BB-8 Ships It, F/M, Fluff, Internal Monologue, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 05:16:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13183125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyraven/pseuds/psyraven
Summary: In a universe where all things are connected and time is not necessarily linear, can two souls find a connection and a shared future? Spoilers for TLJ





	Stars in the Firmament

**Author's Note:**

> I have only seen the movie once, so apologies for any inaccuracies in my memory of how these scenes played out. I hadn’t really been in favour of any particular pairing in the first movie, although I remember being disappointed that Poe and Rey never got to meet (mostly because I thought BB-8’s interaction with them both would be cute). Once I saw their reaction to each other in TLJ, I just had to write something to fill in some of the blanks. I will probably add to this as further inspiration hits me. :)

> “Though free to think and act, we are held together, like the stars in the firmament, with ties inseparable. These ties cannot be seen, but we can feel them.” – Nikola Tesla

__

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_No, no, no, no, no. It could not be ending like this._ For once in his charmed life, Poe Dameron was actually doing the sensible thing, the rational thing, seeking escape in order to live to fight another day, only to be undone by a giant pile of rocks. The group of resistance fighters, the last tattered remnants of their increasingly unlucky rebellion, had fallen silent around him, their desperation and despair almost tangible in the air.

He still couldn’t believe that this would be how his story would end. Ever since he was a small boy hurtling round with his friends in make-believe x-wings, he had been sure that he would be a part of something great, something infinitely bigger than himself. His parents’ tales of the original rebellion had only spurred his imagination to new heights, as he pictured himself as another Han Solo or Luke Skywalker, swooping in to save the day and destroy the bad guys. Maybe it was arrogant of him to think that he could make that same kind of mark on the universe, but someone had to be the hero to the next generation of wide-eyed kids and he’d always hoped…

A sound from in front of him distracted Poe from his anxious thoughts. _Was that...?_ A couple of rocks shook loose and clattered down the pile to land by his feet. _What the…_ He looked up again just in time to see the rocks start to levitate and move apart as if gravity no longer held sway over them. He only knew of one power capable of that sort of influence. Since Luke was still lending them the cover of his distraction at the front of the base, that meant some other Force user was coming to their rescue. A quick process of elimination told him who that must be and his heart gave a quick jolt in his chest.

It was stupid to be smitten with someone you had never even met, but Rey had become a kind of beacon of hope to him in the darkest days of the fight. Finn, of course, had nothing but good to say about her, as did General Organa-Solo, but it was BB-8 burbling over with joy every time he mentioned her that truly convinced him. Anyone who could instil that kind of adoration in a droid had to be someone pretty special. He had only seen glimpses of her in passing before she headed out to search for Skywalker, and had cursed himself for being too nervous to actually speak to her directly and introduce himself. Usually supremely confident with women, something about the cool, beautiful, centred young woman had turned him into a tongue-tied idiot. One time, he’d actually walked into the wing of a fighter while staring at her and nearly given himself a concussion. By the time his black eye had faded, she had already left on the _Falcon_ and he thought his chance might be gone forever. He promised himself that if she did make it back in one piece and he somehow managed to stay alive that long, he would man up and talk to her.

She came into view now, a vision of concentration and resolve, controlling tons of rock with nothing more than her own will, saving them all. Poe’s face lit up at the sight of her – he’d occasionally thought that he might have built her up too much in his own mind, that no one could possibly live up to that ideal of perfect womanhood. He’d been wrong. She was everything he’d imagined and more. A jostling from behind snapped him out of his adoring daze and he instinctively reverted to leadership mode. Directing the members of the resistance out and helping them to board the _Falcon_ with as much of their equipment and belongings as they’d been able to salvage, he told himself talking to Rey could wait just a little longer. After all, the universe had brought them back together – that had to mean _something_ , right?

* * *

In the end, they were all settled on board and a couple of lightspeed jumps away from Crait before that chance presented itself. He was exchanging ideas on where to head next with a couple of the General’s advisors when he noticed that she was talking to BB-8 just across the room. The little droid was practically crawling onto her lap in giddiness and he chuckled at the sight. The moment of levity gave him the courage to cross the room and speak to her.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.”

She took his outstretched hand and smiled at him. The warmth of it washed over him and fizzed through his veins. Their connected palms seemed to tingle with electricity. “I’m Rey,” she said.

He grinned like a fool. “I know.” Could there be anyone who didn’t know who this incredible young woman was? If there was, that would soon change after what she had accomplished today.

She was drawn into conversation with General Organa-Solo before they could say anything further, but he took the opportunity to sidle up to her again later when the General had departed to check in with Chewbacca on the bridge. “Thanks for saving our asses down there, by the way.”

“You’re worth saving.” She blushed then, as if realising that her words might be thought forward. “I mean, according to BB-8, at least. He’s your biggest admirer.”

“And yours.” He nodded down at the droid, who was happily rolling around next to them, head swivelling to follow their conversation. “Honestly, he never shuts up about Friend Rey. I was starting to get jealous.”

“I’m sure you’ll always be first with BB-8. He’s very devoted.”

“Who said I was jealous of you?” He shot her a flirty look from under his lashes and was pleased to see her flush slightly. “I was starting to feel bad that he got to spend all this time with an amazing woman and I just ended up being tortured by a low-rent Vader impersonator.”

Rey looked slightly shocked at that. “Are you actually making a joke about being brutally tortured?”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I have an unfortunate tendency to find humour in dark situations. It helps me cope.”

“I suppose we all need to find our own way through these things,” she said softly. “For what it’s worth, I very much wish you had been able to spend that time with BB-8 and me, instead.”

Their eyes locked, held, and it seemed to Poe that the rest of the room faded into the blackness of space. There was only Rey and an indefinable, indescribable connection that seemed to pull him towards her until he felt like she was the sun he would orbit for the rest of his life. Shaken by the momentousness of what he felt, he broke the eye contact and mumbled his excuses before heading towards the cargo area to check on the status of their supplies. He didn’t look back, but he could still feel her gaze follow him out of the room and it sent a strange frisson of awareness through every cell of his body. 

This was going to take some getting used to.


End file.
